GROWING IN GOD–PART 1

I have met a lot of people who find it very difficult to study their bibles and get knowledge,they get so thrilled when they see others teach the word of God with so much clarity,but I would like share with you how you can build and develop a study life and grow in your knowledge of Jesus Christ.


MY EXPERIENCE
I remember a few years ago,I had been saved for just a short while and my knowledge of Christ was still small,but I was on fire for him,I met this young man who caused a revolution in my study life,I paid him a visit and discovered he had quite a number of bibles and he shared with me,how much he invests in the purchase of bibles,he has different translations,I was so challenged,he didn't look like someone who had that much and studied much,but that experience with him revolutionized my life.
I made up my mind to get a Dakes bible,which I did with the allowance my parents sent to me for feeding in school,then it cost much,I didn't know how I was going to live but I trusted God to take care of me and he did,two weeks later my father sent me extra money miraculously,but my life changed forever,.
I would like to share very simple ways how you can build a life of study of the word.


DESIRE IT
Your desire is like a fuel for your passion,when I got saved I realize my passion for God was fired up,I wanted to know him more and more,and that desire was put in me by the presence of the holy spirit,the desire for other things reduced and the desire for the word of God increased.This is a sign of a man that has truly received Jesus,his passion is for the word,you are drawn to the word of God,you just want to know him.
The bible says "as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word of God,so you can grow thereby",without the desire for the word,you will not search it and this will reduce your growth in God,the word is the food you need to grow spiritually.1 Peter 2:2


ASSOCIATION
Your association is so important,especially when you just got saved its important you stay around folks who are on fire for God,these kinds of associations will help develop and grow your desire.When I got save I was blessed to fellowship around brothers and sisters who were on fire for God and they helped me grow.
The bible says “.Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17.
 Stay around folks that stir your passion for God,those who will stir your passion for the word and prayer.You cannot grow spiritually beyond those you spend time with.


FELLOWSHIP WITH THE BRETHREN
I hear people say that you don't have to belong to a church and be a part of an activity group,that you can have church at home,I never recommend church on the web for a matured or a baby Christian,I believe that your physical presence in a bible believing church is important,your growth is dependent on the kind of church you attend.So its important you belong to a church were you are taught and you participate and not just are a bench warmer.
I remember when I and my elder brother got saved,we searched for a church and it took us sometime but we found one and became a part of it,and we grew quicker,we became friends with some folks that helped us to grow and I cannot forget that year,it was revolutionary,so attend a bible believing church.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” Hebrews 10:25



GET A FULL BIBLE
The first book you want to get after the salvation experience is a bible,you cannot grow and know god without a bible,the bible contains the word of God that will cause you to grow.I would recommend that you get a king James bible,the original king James bible and for the purpose of study I also suggest that other translations like the new international version,the amplified version,the living bible version or translation and the new king James version are just okay for starters.


START READING IT
We sometimes hurry into trying to understand,the bible never said try to understand the word of God,it said that the holy spirit who is the spirit of truth will teach you,so its his job to teach.so I recommend that you start reading the bible,read the new testament,the gospels and the letters of Paul,just read and as you do that understanding will start to come,don't fight it,just let it flow,
John 14:26.

Also as you read,mark out those verses that strike you as important and take note of them or bookmark them if it's a computer bible,and go back to think on them again and again.


STUDY THE WORD
In studying, to aid you as a young Christian,get a devotional and there are loads of devotional out there,you can study with the aid of devotionals because they teach topic by topic and religiously use them in your quiet time to study.make a habit of studying the word daily and keep to your time and place,this would help you better.


PICK OUT A TIME TO STUDY DAILY
Most successful men today,became successful from a routine,you must make a routine of studying the word of God,take out a minimum of 30 minutes to meditate on the word of God,pick a place and time,where you can concentrate,in that you need a quiet place,with no distractions,phones off,TV off and anything that would distract you.
I remember that one of the times that changed my life was one holiday I had years ago,I had just my bible that had no reference and concordance and my oxford dictionary and a writing note ,I would spend hours studying the word,I was alone at home and no noise except good gospel music,that aided my study.
Most of the things I learned in that period,today stands as a foundation for my Christian life,I was from the orthodox background and most of what I know,the holy spirit taught me,but I had to create the place and the time.


GET A DICTIONARY AND A WRITING NOTE
Its so important that you get a dictionary,I mean a normal dictionary,because as you study you will find words that you don't understand,and your dictionary will help you find the literal meaning of each word,that would help you understand the text,you are reading.
Also get a writing note or diary,so you can make notes of important points for reference purposes and also like I had earlier said,book mark important verses,and make references on your bible so that it will be easy for you to remember other verses that relates.


ASK QUESTIONS
As you study you might find verses that you can't understand,mark it out and write a question in your note,talk to your pastor or your bible study leader or a friend who you can reason it out with,this is why you should have a click of friends who are on fire for God to always discourse issues as they border you.
Questions are vital for knowledge;At the age of twelve Jesus was found asking questions and  listening, giving answers but he asked questions,a man who wants to learn asks questions.Luke 2:46-47


PRAY BEFORE YOU START TO STUDY
You cannot understand the word of God without prayer,prayer and worship puts you in the atmosphere for study of the word.so its important you spend sometime to just pray and and worship and allow his holy spirit to just flow in the atmosphere,this will put your mind in the right frame for the study of the word.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” 2Timothy 2:15.
It is our responsibility to create the place and time and it is Gods responsibility to teach you by his spirit,so do your part,he will be there in time.

BROTHERLY KINDNESS - 2

“Be kindly affectioned,one to another..” Romans 12:10





THE SECRETE TO DEALING WITH LACK IS BROTHERLY LOVE – ACTS 4:34

The apostles were together in one accord when the spirit was revealed and they continued to be together afterwards,they were always together praying and declaring the word of God and there was so much love and bond between them and much grace was released on them,now christian brothers spend more time fighting than praying,they say “A family who prays together stays together” and that’s true because prayer binds.

They stayed together,prayed together and preached together,that their brotherly love for each other became stronger,we can not walk in unity if we don’t love one another,we make little impact now because we don’t walk in brotherly love,the bible says that they walked so much in love that no one absolutely no one in their midst lacked anything.

How was that possible? the bible records that “those that were possessors of land or houses,went and sold them and brought the money to the apostles feet” Peter didn’t have to raise some kind of fund,these guys were so moved by the love of God,this is how you know they have Gods love,they gave what they had,you can not say you love when you can not give,love expresses itself through giving,”God so loved that he gave” John 3:16,you cant separate giving from love,its part of love.

They brought the proceeds to the apostles feet and distribution was made to everyone,according as he had need,everyone's need was met,everyone because they walked in Philadelphia-brotherly love.

There are folks in church today who are so rich,but they care not about their brother,who has need,how can we say we love God when we see a brother in need and we have the resource to fix the need,but we say “oh brother,its going to be fine just keep praying” you certainly don’t have any love,the bible calls that attitude a sin.

LOVE IN ACTION – 1JOHN 3:17-18
This scripture is very direct and clear and it addresses what we see today in the church,were we close our bowels of mercy toward a brother in genuine need of help,so many people attend a church were there are quite a lot of financially okay folks but they still suffer,were is the love of God.

The writer of John quotes “whosoever hath this worlds goods and seeth his brother have need and shuteth his bowels of compassion,from him,how dwelleth the love of God in him?”
He concluded with a question,because he couldn't understand how you can be blessed with the riches of this world and see your brother or sister in need and not  do something to help,such a person doesn't really have the love of God in him.

Its normal now,we select who we help,even in the church,but the word says we are brothers and sisters,how can we say we have the love Of God and still be comfortable,when someone else,a brother is in need and we just ignore it,you better check yourself,that’s is not the love of God.

Let us not love in word or in tongue but in deed and in truth,in other words let our love grow from the verbal “I love you” to actually acting it,doing it.you see a brother who is in need,don’t close your bowels of mercy and feel pity,actually do something about it,he is your brother,that’s how we love in action,when we actually act it,God so loved the word,that he gave” so it was not just verbal,action followed it.

IF YOU HATE YOUR BROTHER,YOU ARE A MURDERER – 1JOHN 3:15
“Whosoever hates his brother in christ is a murderer”- The word murderer in real life is “someone who kills a fellow man,with a motive”.

The scripture say “thou shalt not kill” the actual word there is thou shalt not murder.When you kill someone by a mistake or in self defense,it isnt murder even by natural law,but when you kill someone with an intent,a motive,maybe they did something bad to you or they even killed someone you love and you did it back as vengeance,you have committed murder because of the motive.

So the bible says he that hates his brother is a murderer,its interesting that when I checked the greek,I was amazed;

The greek for murder is anthropoktonos,which means a manslayer,murderer.
When you hate,you hate with a motive,you just don’t wakeup one morning and hate someone,if that’s your case then you got to have a demonic problem there,but when you hate a brother in christ,the bible says that its as committing murder,been charged with that crime called manslaughter,which is same as man slayer.

When you walk in hate,toward a brother in christ,you have committed manslaughter,you have actually killed someone in cold blood,there is no difference between you and someone who takes a gun and walks into a school of kids and shoots everybody to death,you are a murderer.

The bible goes further to say that such a person can not claim to have eternal life abiding in him,the word eternal life is Zoe life,the God kind of life we receive when we accept christ as lord and saviour,that means in actual fact what the scripture is saying is “you are not born-again” that’s the simplest way I can put it.
If you walk in hatred towards your christian brother,you don't have the life of God in you,you are a murderer.

 LOVE LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS BROTHER/SISTER IN CHRIST – 1JOHN 3:16
Now this is getting even serious,its easy to talk about the love of God and I know what you are thinking now,yea he was God! and so it was easy for him to do that.If it was so easy why did Jesus cry out to the father in the garden of gethsemane,that he should take this cup away from him,if it was possible because it wasn’t easy but his love for you and I,the desire to free us from death was much more than the pain of the cross,he truly loved us and went all the way,it wasn’t easy,but it was worth it.

That’s what the scripture is saying to us as brothers that we ought to,its not a thing of struggle because we have the ability to,since God shared his love(agape) love in our hearts by the holy spirit,then we can and we ought to lay down our lives also for the brethren.

This doesn’t necessarily mean die for your brother,but the truth is,if the situation demands it,do it,actually lay down your own life for your brother.But when you read the next verse,the writer talked about helping to meet your brothers need,because the truth is,if you cannot help to solve a brothers material need,you sure can not actually die for them,so we start from the small things,how many times have you gone out of your ways to help another,sacrificed time and money to help some brother in need,that is laying down your life.

Brotherly love is so vital for faith,we serve one God and father,one faith that binds us together,one love which is agape that is the foundation of our faith,if we truly share all of these,then we ought to walk in brotherly love,you are my brother and you are my sister in christ.

watch out for the blog on charity..